EP REVIEW: High Rise – Endeavours

High Rise is a five-piece metal band from South West London, consisting of vocalist Jovic Staddon guitarists Tom Thain and Ricky Gurung, bassist Ryan Beckett and drummer Jon Pickard. The band came together in 2014 through their mutual love of hardcore. Following on from their 2015 debut EP Tides Will Take You, and Left It For Everything in 2016, High Rise are excited to share their explosive new EP Endeavours. The band have shared stages with a host of artists including Bad Omens, Our Hollow, Our Home and Create to Inspire, as well as playing at Teddy Rocks Festival.

Endeavours was engineered, mixed and mastered by Oz Craggs (Feed The Rhino, Neck Deep, Mallory Knox) at Hidden Track Studios in Folkstone, Kent. High-octane, passion-fuelled and full to the brim with staggering choruses, Endeavours sees the band hone their abilities to combine sharp, neck-breaking riffs with vocal that are both melodious and vicious in equal measures. “This EP is a journey reflecting on our cultural surroundings,” the band comment. “Each song reflects the struggles we face in day-to-day life, whether it be that of losing someone close to you, or seeing and using alcohol and substance abuse as a means to escape reality. The name Endeavours reflects the thought that no-one’s journey is ever quite over and through our struggles to succeed, we forget to appreciate the more important things around us.”

As you begin with My Solitude, Your Hope and listen to these in-depth lyrics; “And I am honestly, Honestly afraid, of what we have become, it’s too late now to say I’m sorry”, you will realise that life unfortunately isn’t all about rainbows and gumdrops. Moving further in with The Fight, we begin to truly realise the serious nature of the EP’s lyrics: “Why would I ever decide to be this way?” quotes our daily struggles which makes a lot of sense; how we feel trapped in a tunnel with no flicker of hope, and how we keep searching for someone to be our guiding light.

With Ghost In My Mind we find a declaration “for I am lonely” which is unfortunately, a tragic reality of our society in today’s modern world. This track is an acceptance of endurance and ability to move on. While loneliness has become a key factor contributing towards increasing depression, anxiety and melancholy, we need to admit and work on our flaws to be able to progress in life. Even though it seems like an unrealistic target to get through, eventually you will surely get your sweet fruit for your dedication, which is exactly what the following track Endeavours tells us. Haunting Me offers a perfect finish to this short but sharp EP. It is a good mix of self-loathing, fear, feeling of isolation and talking about our daily life struggles, written with brutally honest and relatable lyrics and tuned with vocal melodies.